Three Things on a Monday
One.
Martha is the winner of the $50 Dollar General gift card. Congrats, Martha!
Two.
Lisey and I made an almost flourless chocolate cake, which we originally saw at Modern Mrs. Darcy. Go check it out!
Three.
The family FG is taking an uncharacteristically expensive trip, and it's all because of food waste.
Go read about it and please do give me your best tips (because I am positive at least some of you have been where we're going!)
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Joshua's 52 post: Extra-Terrestrial Part II (He took this using his camera and telescope!)
Every time I see that $1500 number I just shake my head. That's almost 4 months grocery budget for us! I'd have to throw away 1/3 of the groceries I buy in a year to hit that number! 🙂 So crazy! And I am excited because it's just gotten warm enough here I am starting a compost bin for the first time, so at least some of our waste won't be going in landfills now.
Enjoy yourselves and have a wonderful time! Sometimes a dose of the happiest place on earth is a very good thing.
Your family is going to have so much fun! We went two years ago to Disney World. We also drove and stayed in a condo off site. We packed lunch into the park (everyone had their own backpack for food and water). We at dinner at home. I stocked the condo kitchen with a few fun snacks we don't normally buy so when the kids saw treats at Disney I could say, not that but...when we get home you can help yourself to....That seemed to really work well. We also found out that Walmart in the area had a tonne of Disney t-shirts and such for way better prices than in the park. Oh one last tip, don't take the free shuttle if your condo has one unless you know for sure there is a late enough one to enjoy the fireworks. It is worth paying for parking so you can stay and see them. Our free shuttle did not run that late.
I am so excited for you and your family!! I know sometimes it is hard to step out of your norm. But at the same time it's nice to change things up a little. Have a great time!
Don't freak out. It's not the most expensive place in the world. We went in 2012, went on a Disney Cruise in Feb., and are going back to WDW this December. Mind you, we don't go anywhere else. We don't eat out and we save every penny we can to do this. We are Disney nuts!!! Believe it or not, you could have stayed at a resort. Yes, they are pricey but many people sell their vacation club points to stay at the SUPER nice places. We are going in Dec. and are at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the price of the lowest budget resort. You get free transportation and don't have to worry about gas paid parking, etc. Also there are a bazillion things for your kids to do there. It far surpasses a basic hotel. However, as far as frugal things: keep a lookout for people at the main gates handing out free stickers. Also, go into the stores...you don't have buy anything...but many places give out free buttons. They are for all sorts of occasions. My daughter was missing her two front teeth and got a button of the "cheshire cat" that said "I lost a tooth." They are all super nice too if you ask. Another nice thing about Disney is that you CAN bring in your own food. Pack it in your bag! If you are going to buy anything in the park to eat, save it for the ice cream novelties. They Mickey Bar is only a couple of bucks, is HUGE, and a wonderful treat. Also, I know you are one of those people who like paying more for a better experience. In my opinion, Disney is one of these things. We even did a character meal (lunch - which was cheaper) and even though it far surpasses the amount I would spend on a meal, the food was great and the experience was something I'll never forget. I don't even remember how much I paid for it I was so pleased...even though I was gawking before I went it. It's a great place.....I'm a Disney addict!
I forgot. We stayed in my parents condo through their timeshare too, but they went with us. They didn't go to the theme parks, but they did ride with us to Florida and stayed with us in the condo. They enjoyed just riding around and doing their own thing down there. AND they didn't mind one bit dropping us off and picking us up each day at the theme parks. We didn't have to pay for parking or do any extra walking at all. I would call them when we decided to leave each day and if they weren't in place where it was convenient for them right then, we'd just find something else to do in the meantime. That only happened once in the week we were there.
Disney is so the opposite of everything I enjoy and value, so I can't give first hand experience tips. But, some friends of ours took our kids there for a week of fun last year b/c they (our friends) love it so and knew we'd NEVER take our kids there, no matter how much money we had. Our friends are frugal and employed similar strategies to what it appears you'll be doing: they stayed at a condo outside the resort and ate lunches out and dinners at the condo every night except the night they stayed for fireworks. They were also big on planning rides based on crowds from an app they have for their phones. That seemed to cut down on their wait times.
You'll have so much fun!!! Be sure to stay for the firework/light show at night- it's amazing!
Wow, that cake is inspiring!
Hurray for yummy cake! And I'm looking forward to hearing all about your trip as plans unfold. I've never been there as a parent....